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Coelophora inaequalis

Variable Ladybird

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General Information

COMMON NAMES: Variable Ladybird

GLOBAL DISTRIBUTION: NATIVE ? - Australia / PNG - New Caledonia - Marquesas

COOK ISLANDS STATUS: Introduced - Recent, Naturalised; Land, horticultural

SIGNIFICANCE LIST: Biocontrol

KEY FEATURES: Glossy orange-red ladybird with extensive black markings to 6mmBL. WING-COVER (each) with black dorsal and lateral margin; dorsolateral 4 spots separate or variously fused.

SIMILAR SPECIES: Coccinella repanda has WING-COVER dorsal edge-stripe black expanded into conspicuous semicircle near anterior end (vs. stripe narrow or wide without semicircle); forward dorsolateral spots usually form an arrow (vs. not arrow); lateral margin orange (vs. edge black).

Enlarged Image of 'Coelophora inaequalis'

Cook Islands Distribution

View Distribution Map

Southern Group: Present Makatea: Present
RR	MG	AT	MK	MT	AK	PL	TK	MN
++		P	P		P

Northern Group:
TN	MH	RK	PK	NS	SW

Key to Symbols

blank	no data
-	absent	L	localised
X	extinct 'naturally'	W	widespread
XQi	quarantine intercepted	R	recent
XQe	eradicated	?	query preceding category
P	present	T?	taxonomic query
S	seasonal	nn	present, said to have no name
O	occasional	?1	present, name not investigated
++++	very common	?2	presence not verified, no name recorded
+++	common	N/A	absent, name not expected
++	uncommon
+	rare
Cook Islands islands: RR =Rarotonga, MG = Mangaia, AT =‘Ātiu, MK=Ma‘uke, MT=Miti‘āro, AK=Aitutaki, PL=Palmerston, PN=Penrhyn, MN=Manuae, TK=Takūtea, TN=Tongareva (TS=Tongaleva Spoken, TW=Tongareva Written, they say "el" but write "r"), MH=Manihiki, RK=Rakahanga, PK=Pukapuka, NS=Nassau, SW=Suwarrow. After a Polynesian name: ^=orthography query. Countries and other: FIJ=Fiji, WT=Wallis & Futuna, SAM=Samoa, TON=Tonga, NIU=Niue, CK=Cook Islands, CKM=Cook Islands Māori, FP=French Polynesia, AUS=Australs, SOC=Societies, TAH=Tahiti, TUA=Tuamotus, MQS=Marquesas, MNG=Mangareva, PIT=Pitcain group, EAS=Easter Island, HAW=Hawai‘i, NZ=New Zealand, NZM=New Zealand Māori

Scientific Taxonomy

Coelophora inaequalis Fabricius
TAXONOMY: ANIMALIA; ARTHROPODA; ATELOCERATA; HEXAPODA; INSECTA; PTERYGOTA; Coleoptera; COCCINELLIDAE

More Information

SIGNIFICANCE NOTES -
POSITIVE SIGNIFICANCE: Biocontrol. Comments: Associated with the Black Citrus Aphid (Toxoptera aurantii) on Sweet Orange on Rarotonga. Observed feeding on aphids on Atiu. (W&D79)

IDENTIFICATION: Glossy orange-red ladybird with extensive black marking, to 6mmBL. HEAD orange. PRONOTUM black with narrow anterior orange margin forming an mid-dorsal stripe and round dorsolateral intrusions. WING-COVERS orange with dorsal-margin black expanding into semicircle near rear, lateral-edge black, dorsolateral black markings - anterior 1 spot, central 2 transverse spots, posterior 1 spot fused to lateral edge, with the forward 3 spots often fused, and the hindspot variously fused.

Vouchers & References

Vouchers:
Rarotonga: ~15 specimens, 1977?9, Krauss, in BPBM as Coelophora inaequalis; specimen+photo, 1999, BESO #422, with ID as Coelophora inaequalis; specimen, location?, 6/2004, Al Samuelson, ID 12/2004 list as Coelophora inaequalis. Atiu: 4 specimens, 1976, Krauss, in BPBM. Aitutaki: 5 specimens, 1977, Krauss, in BPBM.

References:
Special Reference: W&D79

Data Update History (information):
zTX, zB02, zM02, zupM06a, zD02

Web Resources

Citation Information

McCormack, Gerald (2007) Cook Islands Biodiversity Database, Version 2007.2. Cook Islands Natural Heritage Trust, Rarotonga. Online at http://cookislands.bishopmuseum.org.
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